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Barcelona’s many restaurants and bars offer the best of Catalonia’s diverse cuisine. Other Mediterranean countries, like France and Italy, have heavily influenced Catalan cooking, which features lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, pork and veal.

Catalans love cold meats (embutidos) of all sorts, especially pork sausages (butifarra). The staple dish is butifarra amb mongetes, a stew of pork sausage and white beans. Escudella is a traditional stew made with sausage, chickpeas, pasta and a giant pork meatball. It’s generally eaten at Christmas time and followed by crema catalana, a sweet egg custard topped with caramelized sugar that has become a popular dessert throughout Spain.

Fish is a major part of the diet. Zarzuela is a tasty seafood casserole that originated in Barcelona and spread to other parts of the country. Bacallà a la llauna is cod cooked in a tin dish.

In summer, you can enjoy lighter dishes like escalibada (red peppers mixed with aubergines and onions) and esqueixada (red peppers with cod and onions). Or head for one of the many farmhouse (masía) restaurants on the outskirts of the city and try some traditional dishes. If you’re lucky, the restaurant will serve calçotada, a sauce (calçots) made from tender spring onions served on an oven-fired tile, followed by grilled meat.

There are eight different areas in Catalonia that produce good quality wines. The region is famous for its white wines from the Penedés area and cava, sparkling white wines. The quality of red wines, particularly from the Priorato area, has improved in recent years.

Where to Go

You’ll find traditional Catalan restaurants along with restaurants featuring regional cuisine from other parts of Spain. There’s also a variety of eating places serving Italian, Chinese, North African, Middle Eastern and Mexican dishes along with more trendy designer restaurants.

Basque cuisine is served in Irati and Zure Etxea. The old town has quite a few Galician restaurants like the famous Bar Celta, which offers a variety of traditional octopus dishes.

You’ll find three famous traditional Catalan restaurants worth visiting in the area around Monumento a Colón (Columbus Monument): Ca l’Isidre, Botafumeiro and Casa Leopoldo.

There’s plenty of reasonably-priced seafood restaurants down by the harbour, in La Barceloneta, that specialize in paella and the Catalan equivalent, fideuà, based on noodles instead of rice. Arròs negre is a kind of paella cooked in a stock of squid’s ink. Can Ramonet, Set Portes and Salamanca are three of the best places for rice dishes in this district.

The seafood restaurants at Port Olímpic (Olympic Port) display their fresh fish in cases by the door and many offer sea views.

There are more seafood restaurants with views in the Maremàgnum, an ultra-modern shopping centre by the harbour, close to the Ramblas.

Tapas are often served as an appetizer along with a glass of beer or wine before lunch or dinner. However, you can make tapas into a meal by ordering a selection to share with friends. Lots of informal tapas restaurants have recently opened up along Paseo de Gracia and Rambla Cataluña. Traditional tapas are small portions of things like pescaíto frito (mixture of deep-fried Mediterranean fish), patatas bravas (chunks of potato, deep-fried and served with spicy garlic sauce), calamares a la romana (squid rings fried in batter) and boquerones en vinagre (marinated anchovies). Try the following places for tapas: Tapa-tapa, Von-Till, Ciudad Condal or Moncho’s. For bullfighting memorabilia, try Los Toreros on Calle Xuclà, close to the Ramblas.

“
La Historia de los Tarantos” is a work by Alfredo Mañas which narrates a man and a woman’s struggle to place their love above the obstinance of their respective families who are determined to thwart it: the Tarantos and the Zorongos, two gypsy clans locked in an old blood-feud and who choose hate, vengeance and tragedy over seeing their families united.The work which in 1963 was made into a film by Rovira Beleta starring Carmen Amaya and Antonio Gades is set in the Somorrostro neighborhood of Barcelona in the middle of the last century; a shanty-town dominated by misery, illiteracy and individuals without a future, an underworld of outcasts which modern society had always shunned and before which it closed its eyes and put up walls to deny its existence.This is the setting, and the concept that director Emilio Hernández wants to highlight above all others. “We live in an integrated Europe with a mixture of races and cultures, and that generates conflict in a world that knows situations such as that of
Palestine, and this is why Los Tarantos is so current”.And so it is, this play represents social commitment to the gypsy cause and to any other marginal group, as well as hope for the future against the obstacles to peace.Nevertheless, the importance of the social underpinning of this work does not undermine its artistic validity, a challenge seldom taken on from a clearly flamenco perspective.When you settle into your seat at the Barcelona Teatre Musical, you expect to see a series of musical numbers interpreted by a long list of performers who do not belong to the glamorous elite of flamenco and who will do their best to string a story together. But the reality is quite another as the talent and earnest intentions of these men and women who by definition are more familiar with flamenco than theatrical interpretation, yield splendid fruit. Exploring the depths and stirring the most relevant political consciousness…dignifying the primary identifier of the Andalusian character: flamenco.The show begins with the singing of tonás while a giant screen shows retrospective images of the Somorrostro neighborhood. The story of three generations brings us up the present of the action about to unfold. We are witness to violent confrontations and hatred between the two gypsy families in
Barcelona: the Tarantos and the Zorongos. Ismael, the young Taranto played by dancer Juan Carlos Lérida meets Juana
La Zoronga, played surprisingly well by Ana Salazar. The young couple, rapt in passion, promise eternal love and all is lightness and joy until the morning after when they discover the rivalry of their respective families. Soledad, the
Taranto mother, played convincingly by Carmelilla Montoya in a marvellous interpretation, is surprised and fascinated by Juana’s dancing and this leads her to rise above the family feud which Rosendo (Candy Román), the Zorongo father adamantly refuses to forget. This is all held together by a running narrative and dynamic, attractive staging, with extreme respect and a musical idiom that makes this play much more than just an experiment.

In Barcelona there are hundreds of thing to do and see… One of the most exiting experiences in the city is to fit in a football game at the famous Nou Camp Stadium during your weekend. With a crowd capacity of just under 100,000 and a home crowd bordering on the fanatic, home games are always popular and you will ever have fun. If FC Barcelona is not playing at home for your planned weekend, you can also visit the FC Barcelona Museum (the second most visited in Catalunya), or maybe take a tour in the stadium, visiting the inside area of a football club with millions of fans around the world. You can see where Ronaldinho have a shower after the game, where Etoo give his opinion of the game to the journalists…

Remember that most home games are on Sunday evenings, so make sure your flight home is either late Sunday or Monday. However, if the TV rights are bought (especially for league leader games), the match can be changed to the Saturday night. Just in case, make sure you’re here for both nights, and we will advise the week before. If this clashes with other activities, we can normally change these around the football.

Here is a list of all the hotels in Barcelona, with their direct phone contact, address in Barcelona, etc. All the hotels in
Barcelona are included in this list, from 1 star to 5 five stars. Also I included all the registered(legal) pensions and hostels of
Barcelona. A pension is a kind of very budget hotel, normally with double and single bedrooms with shared bathroom. It is a good solution to sleep in Barcelona.

New Barcelona iPod Travel Guide is available to DOWNLOAD. We got some tips (after looong hours of research) on the nightlife in Barcelona, where to drink cheap, eat cheap and dance til mornin’ The new version has been completely re-designed to better suit your needs. It now looks better, reads better and is, well… a lot cooler Available for both iPod 3G and 5G models. Oh, and it’s gratis. Free. Completely free! 🙂

I remember reading about El Bulli four or five years ago in a newspaper. I remember the yearning, and I remember the pang that followed closely: considering the small number of guests that the restaurant could accommodate each season, the dream seemed out of reach. But a few years later, I learned from a well-informed friend that getting a reservation was a bit like playing the lottery: the odds were low, but it didn’t cost much to try (see below).

And so I played, I won, and this is how my girlfriend Anna and I found ourselves driving to Roses some weeks ago with three of our friends. My state of mind was a mix of excitement and circumspection: few restaurants have gotten as much press as this one, and I knew that the actual experience could fall short of my expectations. Fortunately, there was no need to brace myself for disappointment.

The evening that we spent at El Bulli was every bit as extraordinary, surreal, and more important, joyful, as I’d hoped it to be.We arrived at the restaurant in early evening, after a short curvy ride up and down the mountain road that leads to Cala Montjoi, and offers a striking view out to sea. A tiny parking lot, a small (and a bit scruffy) beach, a handsome tiled-roof house — we walked up the stairs and were greeted by the staff, who gave us a short tour of the kitchen and led us to our table by the window, nicely isolated from the rest of the room: the arrival of each dish offers a bit of a dramatic thrill, so we were happy not to get any spoilers from the other tables.

The tasting menu, which changes slightly every day, unfolds in three acts and thirty-five dishes: small snacks that you eat with your fingers, larger-sized tapas to be eaten with a fork and spoon (no knife, ever), and desserts. It is a fast-paced dining rollercoaster, with explosive flavors and textural surprises that await you at every turn — it is thus a good idea to take a break on the terrace every now and then. Each dish, or group of dishes, is brought to the table by a small squadron of waiters dressed in black, and while you are busy taking pictures of the new UFO that has just landed, the head waiter explains what it is (in our case, in excellent French), and how to eat it: start with this end or that, gobble it up in just one bite, or hurry before it melts.

There were recurring themes within the meal — seaweed, seeds, Parmesan, Thai flavours, Clementine, peach, the cotton candy texture, and Adrià’s famous esferificación technique, in which liquids are trapped in a thin alginate casing that bursts open on your tongue. Not everything was successful, and not everything sent shivers of pure pleasure down your spine: some of the flavours were quite strong, and it took stamina to take them all in with fresh taste buds. But every single item managed to amaze and entertain, making the whole experience quite dazzling, both on an intellectual and sensory level.And now, for your entertainment, let me offer a photographic account of the menu we were served (those with asterisks are the ones I enjoyed the most):

Snacks
Cucumber gin tonic* with candied citrus peel, prepared tableside with a jug of liquid nitrogen
Esferificación olives* (olive oil trapped in a soft casing to look like an olive)
Olive oil spiral*, which you loop around your index finger and drop in your mouth, where it dissolves into thin filaments
Mango leaf with tagete flower (a type of marigold)
“Animals”: seaweed-flavored rice crackers with a fragile, moussy texture that reminded me of Monster Munches
Hibiscus, blackcurrant, and eucalyptus candy with a paper-thin sugar “cape”*
Sea lettuce and white sesame waffles
Freeze-dried banana crunches flavored with sesame and nutmeg*
Walnut polvorones (“polvorones” are traditional Spanish cookies — these were savory, and had a buttery texture that turned to dust in your mouth)Mandarine essence: a silky soup of mandarin with a hint of mangoCaramel filled with squash seed oil*Popcorn cloud*Melon and passionfruit caviarPine nut tartin a meringue shellThai brioche filled with a lemongrass and basil ice-creamCrab fritter topped with an anemone*
Liquid ham croquette topped with breadcrumbs*

TapasParmesan wontons in a chicken broth, plopped into a bowl of basil foamParmesan “air” (more like snow, really) in a styrofoam box, on which you sprinkled a freeze-dried berry muesli (this was our least favorite dish: there was too much of the Parmesan air, the texture wasn’t particularly enjoyable, and the muesli seemed completely out of place)
A fillet of anchovy, surrounded with dots of variously and intensely flavored sauces and grape-like bubbles, and a crisp cardamom brioche on the sideTomato soup with virtual ham* — thin slivers of tomato-flavored jelly, and croutons topped with ham-flavored jelly and basil seedsMussel spheres in a potato and bacon soup, with dots of double cream, and cubes of apple jellyBread soup with egg yolk spheres and laurencia seaweed“The seeds”: tiny lumps and piles of various vegetable and herb seeds
Curry-flavored zucchini seed risotto with capsules of peanut oil*Ackees (a Jamaican fruit) and cucumber hearts in a veal and basil broth“The sea”: a discovery trail of twelve different types of seaweed, some mild, some extremely bold in flavorCrab Marrakech: lumps of crab meat in a mandarin flower broth, with bulgur on the sideBoneless chicken feet wrapped in sea lettuce with sesame sauce and froth*

Cheese and dessertCreamy sheep’s milk cheese topped with a sheep’s milk cheese “wool”, with a wedge of raspberry jelly on the sideLiquid peach: a frozen casing of peach liqueur, and a spoonful of thin peach puréeRaspberry sorbet, verbena mousse, and chocolate* (notice how the plating makes it look like a snail)Peach soupMango sorbet sandwichesChocolate bites filled with mandarin sorbet*We gave carte blanche to the sommelier, who selected five different wines for us — let us take a moment to consider how challenging it is to come up with pairings for such a wacky menu. In order of appearance, we tasted a Cava (Brut Nature Gran Reserva 2002 / Cava Augusti Torello), a white wine from Penedès (Xarel.lo Pairal 2003 / Can Ràfols dels Caus), a white Rioja (Allende 2004 / Finca Allende), a red
Burgundy (Volnay Les Roncerets 1998 / Nicolas-Rossignol), and a sweet wine from Montilla-Moriles (PX Reserva 1998 / Alvear).

It took us six hours to go through the entire meal — from 8pm to 2am — but we were in such a state of elation that it was hard to tell if it had been two minutes or two days since we had first sat down. I would like to stress here how pleased we were with the service: the ballet of dishes coming and going was perfectly choreographed, and the waitstaff was exceptionally warm and attentive, making us feel as if we were the only guests in the restaurant.

So, do I think that El Bulli is the best restaurant in the world? First of all, I’m sure I’m not the only one to whom the idea of one single “best restaurant in the world” seems ludicrous: depending on my mood, my appetite, and who I’m with, the best restaurant in the world can be the pizza place down the street or a farm-inn on top of a hill, just as much as any three-star on the planet. But dining at El Bulli is certainly a one-of-a-kind experience, and I wish it upon anyone who’s passionate about food, who has broad tastes, who is tickled by the discovery of new flavors, and who is happy to be whisked away on a flying carpet driven by a mad scientist, even if the ride leaves him a bit dizzy.

How much does dinner cost? The tasting menu is 165€. Add wine, water, and coffee, and you’re looking at roughly 220€ per guest — a reasonable price compared to other three-star restaurants.

How does one get a reservation at El Bulli? The restaurant is open from May until September, and starts taking reservations in mid-October for the next season. Around October 15th, send a reservation request by email (the email address can be found here), with the number of people in your party. You can indicate the day(s) on which you wish to come, but your best bet is to let them pick a date for you, and arrange the trip around it. A few weeks later you will get a response — the negative ones get sent earlier than the positive ones, so having to wait is a good sign. (How they award the reservations is a bit of a mystery, but I am told that it is mostly on a first come first served basis.) Once you’re in, you can jump up and down with glee, mark your calendar, and organize the flight and accommodation — just don’t forget to confirm your reservation a week before the set date.

Practicalities. El Bulli is just a few miles outside of Roses in the northeast of Spain, about an hour and a half by car from
Barcelona. It is a beach resort (and a rather ugly one if you ask me) that has lots of hotels, but gets booked up quite fast in the summer, so plan early. (We are terrible planners, so we ended up staying at the Sant Marc hotel, which I do not recommend. Insert shudder here.) Once in Roses, you can either take a cab to the restaurant, or drive yourself up the mountain road if you feel up to the ride back down, and if someone is willing to be the designated driver.

FC Barcelona’s defence of the Champions league title is still alive after beating Werder Bremen with goals from Ronaldinho and Gudjohnsen. FC Barcelona have once again withstood the pressure and will be in the hat for the second round draw. And the tickets were sold by FC Barcelona TicketsFC Barcelona had only one option this evening, and that was to take all three points from the final first round Champions League match against Werder
Bremen. But despite the tremendous pressure to deliver, they got the hard work out of the way early on with a fantastic first half performance. An extraordinarily cunning free kick from Ronaldinho, followed by a prime example of Gudjohnsen’s goalscoring instinct ensured that FC Barcelona will be in the hat for the second round draw. Justice was served, and Europe will be able to continue enjoying the finest football in the continent. We will be able to see more Champions League in Barcelona, and tickets will be sold as usual at FC Barcelona Tickets

Pressure and intensity

It was an exemplary first half performance from Frank Rijkaard’s side. With Ronaldinho leading the playmaking, Werder Bremen were surprised by the Catalan outfit’s first touch football and relentless pressure, with a defence that was giving nothing away, and a midfield capable of creating danger with every attack.

Ronaldinho the hero again

Ronaldinho’s opener was a peach. FC Barcelona were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Bremen area, and practically the entire German team gathered to form the wall, prepared for one of the Brazilian’s trademark free kicks. But rather than hit the ball high, Ronaldinho opted to slip the ball along the ground with the inside of his foot and right through the feet of the unsuspecting defence. It caught everybody by surprise, and the ball slipped inside the post leaving visiting keeper Wiese with no option but to vent his frustration at being outwitted on his defence. Once again Ronaldnho had produced a moment of unforgettable magic just when the pressure was really on.

Gudjohnsen in his place

FC Barcelona were 1-0 up, but there was no time to relax, because a Werder equaliser would still be able to put them out of the tournament, and what followed was a relentless period of non-stop FC Barcelona pressure. And Werder did not know what had happened when FC Barcelona conjured up another goal to remember. Ronaldinho switched the play from right to left with a sublimely perfect pass to Giuly who beat the offside trap to slip the ball through to an opportunistic Gudjohnsen to slot home from point black range. Just 18 minutes into the game and FC Barcelona were already looking comfortable.

Great football but no more goals

FC Barcelona did not take their feet off the gas, but the third goal just did not want to come. The most clear-cut chance came after an amazing run from Deco, straight up the middle of the pitch, steamrolling the Bremen midfield out of his way. He got the ball to Gudjohnsen who skipped and jockeyed his way around four defenders but his shot ended up hitting the post to rebound into the path of Giuly, who inexplicably managed to miss the open goal.

Things calm down

In the second half, the game took a somewhat different course. FC Barcelona played it more conservatively, and although Bremen never gave up the hunt, they never really looked like getting back into the game. Frank Rijkaard’s side was willing to let the Germans hold onto most of the possession, although they still managed to create the odd chance of their own, including one when Gudjohsen, having his liveliest evening in a FC Barcelona shirt, failed to beat Werder keeper Weile in a one on one.

Solid defence

Thuram came on for Motta while Xavi replaced the injured Iniesta for FC Barcelona, which added a bit more spark to a FC Barcelona side that had dangerously come to rely almost entirely on the defence, supremely led as usual by Puyol, and with Valdés not making a single error. Neither did Werder create much danger themselves, save a Jensen effort that alarmingly struck the FC Barcelona crossbar in the 61st minute. The clock ticked away, with Werder getting half chance after half chance but very little coming of them, as the 95,824 spectators around them starting enjoying yet another memorable night of European football at the Camp Nou, and looking forward to finding who they will meet next in their quest to retain the biggest prize in European club football.

During this month and until January 2007 you can enjoy a great fusion between the Opera and Flamenco in Barcelona. The Poliorama Theatre offers the melody of lyrical singing, the seduction of the Gitano dance and the magic of Spanish music, all in a unique show.This is a festival of music and dance, from Bizet with his passionate Carmen, till De Falla in his Amor Brujo in a Journey through the popular songs and Spanish Zarzuelas. Tradition and flamenco are waiting for you in and unforgettable night.

Barcelona is nowadays, one of the most popular cities in Europe. Its architecture, ambience, the weather, the people… the souls of Barcelone atracts everyday thousands of tourists to the city. But also to a lot of dark people… Though Barcelona is a friendly city,
Barcelona do have its darker side.

Of late the city has witnessed too many crimes. Normally they are not violent, but small thefts and burglary, which sometimes causes big problems specially for tourist from out of the UE, from the USA, or Japan…However, theft and burglary are not confined to tourists only; residents of the city also face problems of pick pocketing and chain snatching.This is the biggest risk one faces on the streets of
Barcelona, Spain. Here you will find some interesting tips for Barcelona.

One should be alert in the crowded places, metro/busses and areas such as Raval and the famous Rambles. If you are just arriving be aware of pickpockets at the bus terminal Estació del Nord and train station Sants Estació. It is wise to take care of your backpack and handbags. Pay attention to sellers. There are many kind of them, flowers sellers, umbrellas sellers… Don’t speack with them…

When surfing the Internet in internet cafes, airport, even in the arrival hall, you may probably be approached by individuals masquerading as foreigners and claiming they have been robbed, and asking you for some 50 or 100 Euros. Be prepared to face this kind of situations.

Some of the places where you should cautiously tread in the city include Plaça Reial, the Raval, and the old town.

It is better to travel in group. Women when traveling alone should exercise caution in exploring the more isolated parts of Montjuïc. The city beaches, particularly the ones adjoining Barceloneta, have proven to be quite lucrative for bag-snatchers.

Men should be aware of aggressive prostitutes. Especially in the wee hours on Las Ramblas, often they are with thieves and robbers. Stories abound of guys’ belongings being stolen while their pants were down in dark back-streets. Be prepared.

If you are travelling by car, read this. This is the latest version of thefts in Barcelona.

If you are driving with your own car, showing in your plate that you are a tourist, be careful. The last

version of robberies, which is becoming extremely popular, is that someone with a motorbike stops you and aware you that your tire is flat. Maybe the criminals flat your tire before and waited for your to take your care. However, someone with a motorbike will tell you that your tire is flat, and you will stop.

When you are out of your car, another person will come to you and will try to help you, telling you where is the nearest garage in Barcelona. While you are distracted by this person, someone else (the one of the motorbike) will robb you everything from the car, luggage, bags, purses….BE VERY CAREFUL

Caution should also be taken on traffic lights. At times incidents of bag snatching while stopped at the traffic lights have also come to light where thieves open the car doors and take what they can. Please make sure that you always have your car doors locked during both the night and the day.